Yet another Mugo beginning

[Vance Wood]

This Mugo was balled in burlap and about 7 foot tall. I placed it in one of my planters for a few year before I started work on it.

What follows is a very short run through of a demonstration at the club I belong to where this tree was initially styled and potted as a demonstration. Sorry for the quality of the pictures but I think you can see where this is going.

The trunk on this tree is as big around as my fore-arm. There is an amount of dead wood yet to be worked properly and it's planted position is going to be changed next repot.

 

[Mark59]

Hey Vance, what is the height of this tree now? Outstanding work by the way!

 

[Vance Wood]

Hey Vance, what is the height of this tree now? Outstanding work by the way!

The tree is about 28" tall give a couple. The pot is Tokonoma.

 

[Bill S]

That will keep me looking for the better material, all I can seem to find is octopus style.

Guess power is a given with this one, some time to refine/age the transition and top and it will be a beauty.
Nice transition from the can to the pot. Many would not have looked at this to work with.

 

[Vance Wood]

That will keep me looking for the better material, all I can seem to find is octopus style.

Guess power is a given with this one, some time to refine/age the transition and top and it will be a beauty.
Nice transition from the can to the pot. Many would not have looked at this to work with.

Again this is an example of Trunk trumps all. You can over time, and that seems to be the issue with some, over-come a lot of problems and grow and entire new top. This tree was in one of my planter boxes for three or four years before it was reduced down to a smaller box and grew in that one for another two or three years. By the time putting it into a bonsai container it had mostly fine roots, so cutting back hard was no problem.

This tree was pruned hard as you can see, root pruned and wired all at the same time on or about June 16th. This is a standard practice with me, working on them in the summer. As you can see it is healthy and doing fine. In fact it has to be root pruned this next summer.

Thanks for the compliments.

By the way, Octopus configuration is common with nursery grown Mugos, you have to turn them in to Onenopuses.

I think Debora Young wrote a book that has a large section in it about clip and grow. The diagrams in that book are helpful in understanding how to develop a mugo. You find the association between trunk base and progressively high branches until you find a single tree. Sometimes keeping multiple trunks works well if you find a carapace base like you sometimes see in Maples.

 

[Mystogan]

i wonder how long to get the bark to even out.

i think this slanting trunk would do better with having the foliage closer to the trunk? kinda like walter palls mugo? http://walter-pall.de/pinesmugo_pine_nr__25.jpg.dir/images/2007_08_dsc_3695v.jpg

or else atleast create some dimensionality? by having back branches and foliage to fill out that gap of to the right?

 

[Bill S]

i wonder how long to get the bark to even out.

i think this slanting trunk would do better with having the foliage closer to the trunk? kinda like walter palls mugo? http://walter-pall.de/pinesmugo_pine_nr__25.jpg.dir/images/2007_08_dsc_3695v.jpg

or else atleast create some dimensionality? by having back branches and foliage to fill out that gap of to the right?

Decent comparison, and questions, time I think is the answer. As to the bark Vance will have a better one for that, the negative space I think will take care of itself as the foliage pads develope more, and branches are adjusted. Typically a back branch wouldn't be that low, usually after the first couple of branches. But again I feel the openness will be filled as the branches and pads mature. A time machine would be great wouldn't it.

 

[Vance Wood]

Decent comparison, and questions, time I think is the answer. As to the bark Vance will have a better one for that, the negative space I think will take care of itself as the foliage pads develope more, and branches are adjusted. Typically a back branch wouldn't be that low, usually after the first couple of branches. But again I feel the openness will be filled as the branches and pads mature. A time machine would be great wouldn't it.

A time machine would be great, but we all are servants to the same one. As of now I can enjoy this tree knowing what I want to do with it not fearing to damage the intent of some other artist who had it first. Let me throw this out to all of you. If I had picked up this tree as a pre-bonsai, just as it is now, what would your reactions be? I suggest if there were honest answers offered, knowing there are some where that's beyond hope, the reaction would be far different.

 

[Oliver Muscio]

A time machine would be great, but we all are servants to the same one. As of now I can enjoy this tree knowing what I want to do with it not fearing to damage the intent of some other artist who had it first. Let me throw this out to all of you. If I had picked up this tree as a pre-bonsai, just as it is now, what would your reactions be? I suggest if there were honest answers offered, knowing there are some where that's beyond hope, the reaction would be far different.

Well, I don't know if the reactions would be that much different (mine, at least). I am impressed with what you have accomplished based on where the material started, and I would think it a pretty nice pre-bonsai (but not very much "pre-"). As both you and others have suggested, there is still some work to do, but I would be really happy to have something like that in my collection as it is.
Oliver

 

[Vance Wood]

Well, I don't know if the reactions would be that much different (mine, at least). I am impressed with what you have accomplished based on where the material started, and I would think it a pretty nice pre-bonsai (but not very much "pre-"). As both you and others have suggested, there is still some work to do, but I would be really happy to have something like that in my collection as it is.
Oliver

Thank you for your comments.

 

[Bill S]

I guess my answer would come down to how much, mostly out of necessity for me, but this as stated would be farther along than prebonsai. Not sure what I'd be willing to pay, I haven't been able to pay for some things I'd like to get so my $ eye isn't up to speed, but I'd venture that if you chose to you get a pretty decent payday.

If you just picked it up I'd say where did you get it, did they have more.

 

[Vance Wood]

I guess my answer would come down to how much, mostly out of necessity for me, but this as stated would be farther along than prebonsai. Not sure what I'd be willing to pay, I haven't been able to pay for some things I'd like to get so my $ eye isn't up to speed, but I'd venture that if you chose to you get a pretty decent payday.

If you just picked it up I'd say where did you get it, did they have more.

My answer would be $50 and they had one more, I have that one too. Subject of another rant through Mugo land.

 

[Bill S]

$50 isn't that bad at all, how many take a $150 maple and cut it down to 2' with no branches? No real features?

Oh oh are you hogging all the mugho's Vance?

 

[Attila Soos]

Great tree, Vance. I love the material for sure.

What I am not very fond of, is the fact that the slanting, dynamic lower trunk ends in a straight top. It sends a confusing story. Not that nature doesn't do that, it often does because sometimes the truth is not as obvious as it looks. But art is man-made, and we like to stick to our story without confusing the audience too much.

Also, because the upper trunk is much thinner than the lower trun, a couple of well-placed pads can hide that fact. You don't need to show the upper trunk at all, since the character is in the lower part. The whole upper trunk can be hidden by a series of pads that carry on the original movemen towards the left. Since the mugo has very flexible branches, you can place those pads wherever you want, I imagine.

 

[Joedes3]

Vance:
I really like following your posts here. They are informative and, as someone who is learning, I appreciate your narratives of how and why you did things. Please keep them coming.
Joe De

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance:
I really like following your posts here. They are informative and, as someone who is learning, I appreciate your narratives of how and why you did things. Please keep them coming.
Joe De

I plan on doing some addiional work on this tree this afternoon. If I get the opportunity I will post some pictures.

 

[tmmason10]

Didn't see the this post before, but that's some great material and it's of to a great start. Looking forward to more updates.

 

[Dan W.]

Vance, I really like the tree and where you are headed with it. Great initial work and wiring Just one thing though...the transition to the upper trunk is a little straight for me as well. Is it possible to bend and make some movement there? I know you mentioned a different planting angle, maybe that will help?

Whatever you do, it's great material and a beautiful tree. I look forward to seeing it develop in your hands.

Dan

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance, I really like the tree and where you are headed with it. Great initial work and wiring Just one thing though...the transition to the upper trunk is a little straight for me as well. Is it possible to bend and make some movement there? I know you mentioned a different planting angle, maybe that will help?

Whatever you do, it's great material and a beautiful tree. I look forward to seeing it develop in your hands.

Dan

I had hoped to get to it yesterday but my Honey-do-list arrived early and the project has been put on hold. If it does not rain I'll do some work on it tomorrow.

 

[october]

I saw that you had posted and expected to see an even more beautiful mugo.. Well, I guess it can wait until tomorrow...

Rob